5.0 Burning Oil

BlackBuggy

Active Member
Aug 6, 2011
223
12
29
Indiana
I have a 2011 5.0 Mustang. It is consistently burning 3-4 quarts of oil per oil change. I am assuming this is normal since the car requires 8 quarts of super-light 5W-20 oil (like they designed the oil pan to be larger because the engine naturally burns a lot of oil)? Otherwise, Ford likely owes me a new motor. Or at least some seals.
 
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I have a 2011 5.0 Mustang. It is consistently burning 3-4 quarts of oil per oil change. I am assuming this is normal since the car requires 8 quarts of super-light 5W-20 oil (like they designed the oil pan to be larger because the engine naturally burns a lot of oil)? Otherwise, Ford likely owes me a new motor. Or at least some seals.

I guess I should note that I use the Motorcraft 5W-20 Synthetic Blend oil and I go between the Motorcraft 500S (try to use this when I can find it) and the Fram XG10575 Filter (a really good filter, oil was still yellow two weeks after I changed it!). Per my own searching, it looks like 66% of 5.0 owners have noticed these motors eating up the oil.

As a side effect, this CAN'T be good for the catalytic converter. It will surely cause it to have a shortened life expectancy if it is filtering out burnt-up oil to carbon deposits.
 
My 2014 burned no oil between when I drove it from the dealer lot to when I got the first oil change at about 4500 miles. Ford has a guideline for oil consumption on these engines (I can not remember the guideline) but I think yours might be considered excessive.
 
Per Ford, oil consumption of 1qt per 1,000 miles is normal. It says in your owners manual to check the oil on a regular basis, just like it does for any Ford vehicle.

Also 5W20 has been used by Ford since 2001MY. FWIW the GT Track Pack cars like mine require 5W50 full synthetic.
 
I have a 2011 5.0 Mustang. It is consistently burning 3-4 quarts of oil per oil change. I am assuming this is normal since the car requires 8 quarts of super-light 5W-20 oil (like they designed the oil pan to be larger because the engine naturally burns a lot of oil)? Otherwise, Ford likely owes me a new motor. Or at least some seals.
Hello BlackBuggy,

I recommend you have your dealer fully diagnose your vehicle and speak with your service manager. He is in the best position to look into this for you and can check into any warranty, assistance, recalls, or customer satisfaction programs that may apply to your vehicle.

Also, remember repairs done at a Ford Dealer come with a 24 months/unlimited miles warranty. You can schedule an appointment online here.

Deysha
 
good advise find an honest dealer. my thought used to be and still maybe true, if you use a straight weight oil vs a multi things run much better. I have friend who proved this to me one day, he was complaining about loss of power and noisey lifters on long trips to ME. so he put a stright 30 sae oil in the car and improved power and nomore noisey lifters, so it would seem the lifters weren't getting full prime due to summer heat and muti weight oil, then the straight 30sae worked fine as it was thicker makes sense to me. but winter months the muti will work better. JMO
 
If straight weight oil quiets the engine down and improves power it's loose as hell and worn.

Multi weight oils are straight weights with additive packages to push their performance down to lower temperatures. So, 5W20 isn't 5 weight oil. It's 2o weight oil with additives to render 5 weight performance in cold weather but 20 weight performance at engine op 210 F.

Modern engines run very tight tolerances and pumping straight weight through them just adds windage loss with no gains.
 
If straight weight oil quiets the engine down and improves power it's loose as hell and worn.

Multi weight oils are straight weights with additive packages to push their performance down to lower temperatures. So, 5W20 isn't 5 weight oil. It's 2o weight oil with additives to render 5 weight performance in cold weather but 20 weight performance at engine op 210 F.

Modern engines run very tight tolerances and pumping straight weight through them just adds windage loss with no gains.
I don't know his mileage but, the guy was a high performance partsman who worked at a speedparts store. I would have guessed a valve seals, rings would lose power and smoke alot too, hydraulic lifters worn not holding prime would lose power too.
 
I've been hotrodding cars and bikes for over 30 years and teach auto shop. The advice you got there is old school and of limited relevance on a modern engine. Clearances can open up and impair performance without displaying any outward signs, like smoke, etc. I reiterate, if heavyweight oil quiets the engine and restores power, that engines pretty much finished. It'll keep running, likely but, at greatly reduced efficiency.
 
I was told by a ford service adviser that ford's guideline is 1qt per 900 miles. To me that sounds excessive. Mine was was burning 1.5 -2 qts per 3000 miles and it has seemed to slow...I burned .5 qt in the last 3000 miles, I noticed the oil consumption decrees since I stopped driving in stop and go traffic. Coincidence...? I don't know.
 
Just changed my oil this weekend on my 2013 5.0 Car has 30,000 miles and I change it every 5,000. The oil that I took out measured 7.6 qts. That wasn't even a 1/2 quart lost in 5,000 miles.